DEP/DUA/1/39/39 (Normalised version)

May Pinkerton

1786

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N^o37 February 24^th 1786

May Pinkerton at 33 married is subject to fits in which she is totally insensible, her hands are clenched & the muscles of her lower extremities spasmodically affected. These occur only in the night, when in bed, & before their approach, she is always awaked, by an uneasy sensation in her legs & arms, with spasmodic twitchings, of the muscles. The fit, sometimes continues for half an hour, its departure is attended, with a copious discharge of high coloured urine, & of flatus

But she never felt the globus hystericus.

For the whole of the day after the fit, she is distressed with headache, anorexia, & lowness of spirits.

She has a warning for 24 hours before the fit, by great dejection, by swelling of the abdomen, from wind, & by Dysuria. She has rarely more than one fit in the night

She observes that she is generally worse in cold weather, & when costive. She has often been for three or four weeks together, without a fit, & has had none since the 6^th of February last. Pulse about 70 & rather weak. Tongue clean. Thirst in general increased appetite commonly good. Belly habitually costive. Catamenia have not appeared since her last pregnancy which is about two years & a half ago she still suckles her child & is seemingly of a very irritable habit. She has been liable to these attacks for fourteen years, they seem to have been produced at first by a fright.

She does not know that any of her relations were affected in a similar manner. She has used a medicine of the nature of which she is ignorant, which kept off the fits for some months. But she has taken no medicines for these six years past.

Cap. Pil. e Cupro. i. om. m. & v.

March 4^th Has slight sickness from the pills & has had no return of any fits since the last report. But according to the periods formerly observed, there should be a recurrence in about eight days.

Cont. Pil e Cupro. sed cap. Pil. ii. om. m.

11 Has taken the pills regularly without any uneasiness. She has had much sickness at stomach & depression of spirits, since the last report but has had no fit.

Cont. Pil. e Cupro. u. a

18. Has now had no fits for these six weeks past but complains much at present of lowness of spirits confusion of head & affection of sight which used to precede the fit.

Cont Pil e Cupro. ii. ter indies

March 25. Has had no return of fit, & is much less affected with the lowness of spirits & confusion of head, than at the last report. She has had no sickness from the pills.

Cont. Pil e Cupro. u. a. sed. Cap. pil iii ter de die.

April. 1. Has continued the pills regularly without any inconvenience & has had no return of Fit. She is much affected with pains at the under part of her belly & with headache. Has seen nothing of the menstrual discharge since she weaned her child which is [now] 5 weeks ago

Cont. Pil. e Cupro u. a

April 8^th

Has no uneasiness from the Pills & no return of fit.

Cont. Pil. u. a.